Angling

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to introduce angling-only areas; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have no current plans to introduce sea angling-only areas. However, DEFRA is funding research to explore whether closing specific coastal areas to commercial fishing with nets and lines (alongside limits on angling such as catch and release requirements or bag limits) would improve sea bass survival. The project is also assessing whether such restricted-catch areas could provide benefits to anglers. Emerging results from this project will be- published shortly and discussed with stakeholders, although the final report is not due until 2011.
	In inland waters, the vast majority of fishing is by angling and in many lakes and rivers the only form of fishing allowed is angling. The Environment Agency has responsibility for regulating salmon and freshwater fisheries in England and Wales. It has a statutory duty to maintain, improve and develop these fisheries. The Environment Agency's approach is to seek to ensure first that target stocks of fish are maintained at satisfactory levels and that fishing is undertaken in a sustainable way. In some places only angling is permitted. Where different fishing methods are allowed, the level of fishing is regulated by controls on effort and the restrictions on exploitation are balanced between the types of fishing allowed, for example, between nets and rods.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what level of take up there has been by British farmers of the bluetongue vaccine.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 17 October 2008
	Vaccination against bluetongue in England and Wales is voluntary. Vaccine was first made available from 30 April 2008, and the Protection Zone was extended step by step as further vaccine consignments were delivered. Initial vaccine uptake was high—reaching between 80 per cent. and 90 per cent. in the South East and East of England, but uptake in the counties of northern England and in Wales has been lower.
	To date the overall uptake of vaccine across the whole of England is about 60 per cent.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of animals have been vaccinated as a protection against bluetongue.

Jane Kennedy: Vaccination against bluetongue in England and Wales is voluntary, an approach agreed with the livestock industry. Vaccine was first made available on 30 April 2008, and the protection zone was extended step by step as further vaccine consignments were delivered. The livestock population eligible for vaccination against BTV-8 in England is 26,419,472. Initial vaccine uptake was high—reaching between 80 per cent. and 90 per cent. in the south-east and east of England, but uptake in the counties of northern England and in Wales has been lower.
	To date the overall uptake of vaccine across the whole of England is about 60 per cent., based on purchasing data. Because the approach to vaccination is voluntary, no exact figures can be provided about the numbers of livestock actually vaccinated.

Bovine TB Partnership Group

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with industry representatives on the constitution of the Bovine TB Partnership Group; and when he plans that the group should be operational.

Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) has made clear that he is keen for Government to work in partnership with industry to develop a joint plan for tackling bovine tuberculosis. This offer to work in partnership remains open.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of animals which have been infected with M. bovis in each year since 1997, broken down by species; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The number of cattle slaughtered as a result of bovine TB control measures in each year in England since 1997 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of cattle slaughtered under bovine TB control measures 
			 1997 3,123 
			 1998 5,027 
			 1999 5,580 
			 2000 7,190 
			 2001 4,438 
			 2002 18,443 
			 2003 17,551 
			 2004 17,306 
			 2005 23,135 
			 2006 16,007 
			 2007 19,794 
			  Note: All data provided is provisional and subject to change as more data becomes available.  Source: Animal Health Database (Vetnet). 2005-07 data extracted on 18 March 2008; 1998-2004 data extracted on 7 March 2006, and 1997 data extracted on 5 March 2007. 
		
	
	In addition there have been a small number of cases of where  Mycobacterium bovis ( M. bovis) has been identified in non-bovine species. The identification of  M. bovis in tissues and clinical samples from all mammals (excepting man) and the detection of suspect TB lesions in farmed and companion mammals (other than cattle and farmed deer), became notifiable only in February 2006.
	DEFRA can only provide data on the number of  M. bovis isolations from notified suspect clinical and post-mortem cases of TB arising in some non-bovine species. The relevant data for non-bovine species in England is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Species  Total number 
			 1997 n/a 0 
			
			 1998 Deer 8 
			  Domestic cat 2 
			
			 1999 Deer 9 
			
			 2000 Deer 8 
			  Domestic cat 3 
			
			 2001 Deer 1 
			
			 2002 Deer 7 
			  Domestic cat 2 
			  Dog 1 
			  Domestic pig 1 
			  Sheep 1 
			
			 2003 Domestic pig 8 
			  Alpaca 2 
			  Llama 1 
			
			 2004 Domestic cat 6 
			  Dog 1 
			  Domestic pig 1 
			  Alpaca 1 
			  Sheep 3 
			
			 2005 Deer 1 
			  Domestic cat 11 
			  Domestic pig 12 
			  Llama 1 
			  Sheep 2 
			  Ferret 3 
			
			 2006 Deer 5 
			  Domestic cat 13 
			  Domestic pig 1 
			  Farmed wild boar 2 
			  Alpaca 1 
			  Llama 8 
			
			 2007 Deer 1 
			  Domestic cat 14 
			  Domestic pig 5 
			  Goat 2 
			  Alpaca 2 
			  Llama 5 
			  Source: Veterinary Laboratories Agency TB Culture database

Council for Food Policy Advisers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the newly established Council for Food Policy Advisers will work with EU partners.

Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) announced on 6 October 2008 that he will be establishing a council of advisers on food policy. The Council will advise the Government on food affordability, security of supply and the environmental impact of food production.
	Details of how the Council will work with EU and global partners will be discussed when the Council has been convened. The Council's primary focus will be on food production, distribution and consumption in the UK, but it will also consider the impacts of global trends.

Council for Food Policy Advisers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the members are of the Council for Food Policy Advisers; and how they were selected.

Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) announced on 6 October 2008 that he will be establishing a council of advisers on food policy. The Council will advise the Government on food affordability, security of supply and the environmental impact of food production.
	Further details including the membership of the Council will be announced in due course.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, if he will place in the Library figures for the air mileage incurred through departmental travel reported to his Department in order to calculate each departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, for each participating government department, public body and agency in each year since the establishment of the Offsetting Fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul flights.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I will place in the Library of the House the air mileage(s) incurred and reported to DEFRA in order to calculate each departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF), for each participating Government Department, public body and agency for the financial year 2006-07. The figures are broken down to short haul and long haul flights as domestic flights were not captured. Figures for the financial year 2007-08 are close to completion, and I will place these figures in the Library of the House when they are available.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to introduce primary legislation to implement the recommendations of the Report of the Review of Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Legislative Project 2006, as recommended in the report; which recommendations of the Review of Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries 2000 have been implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review 2000 made 195 recommendations, 49 of which require changes to existing primary legislation. The Government accepted the majority of these 49 recommendations and made a commitment to introduce new legislation when parliamentary time so permitted.
	The subsequent Review of Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Legislative Project identified that proposals to address obstructions to the free passage of fish in inland waters could be introduced through powers to implement the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). A consultation on these proposals will be issued shortly.
	Those recommendations, accepted by Government and identified as needing change to primary legislation and subsequently identified as critical by the Review of Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Legislative Project 2006 informed chapter 3, part 7 of the draft Marine Bill, published in April this year. These remain an integral part of the Marine Bill, which will be introduced subject to the availability of parliamentary time.
	Most of the recommendations which the Government accepted, and which do not require new primary legislation have been completed; for example the introduction of wider range of payment methods for rod licences, and elver/eel catch returns. Others, while being addressed will take longer to complete, such as addressing the problem of siltation arising from agriculture. A copy of the complete table will be made available in the House of Commons Library.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that salmon, trout, eels and freshwater fish should be managed in a modern way; to protect stocks for sustainable fishing, to protect habitats and reflects the importance of angling to the rural economy in England and Wales.

Fisheries: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department and its predecessor gave to the Environment Agency in grant-in-aid for the Environment Agency's fisheries functions in England and Wales in each year since 1997; how much he plans to provide over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: From 1997-8 to 2007-8, my Department provided grant in aid for the Environment Agency's fisheries functions as shown in the following table. Funding for fisheries functions in Wales has been the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government since 1999.
	
		
			   MAFF/DEFRA GIA  (£ million) 
			 1997-8(1) 7.4 
			 1998-9(1) 7.9 
			 1999-2000 4.9 
			 2000-1 4.8 
			 2001-2 3.2 
			 2002-3 5.8 
			 2003-4 6.3 
			 2004-5 6.3 
			 2005-6 6.3 
			 2006-7 5.9 
			 2007-8 5.9 
			 (1) Includes fisheries functions in Wales. 
		
	
	DEFRA's grant in aid for the Environment Agency's fisheries functions in England has been confirmed at £5.9 million for 2008-9 and 2009-10. The amount of grant-in-aid for 2010-11 and subsequent years will be subject to business planning decisions and the outcome of future Spending Reviews. The funding provided for the Environment Agency's activities in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Fishing Catches

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 1865-6W, on fishing catches, what progress has been made on the development of the EU Discard Atlas; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: In December 2007, the European Commission issued an open call for tenders in relation to "Studies and pilot projects for carrying out the Common Fisheries Policy" (Call No. FISH/2007/07). These studies included one which was intended to form the basis of the long-planned EU Discard Atlas. The study, which was lot four of the call for tenders, was required to provide a review of the current knowledge about discards in EU fisheries, and a feasibility study on a fisheries information system for these. Specifically, the aim of the project was given as:
	To compile and analyse all the information collected so far by the discard sampling programmes under the Data Control Regulation (DCR) on both the discarded and the retained fractions of the catch, in order to reply to questions such as how much, what, where and why discards occur. The study shall cover all main fishing regions of the EU: (i) the Baltic, (ii) the North Sea, (iii) the North Western Atlantic Waters, (iv) the Southern Western Atlantic Waters and (v) the Mediterranean.
	At the same time, to assess the feasibility of an information system offering easy and interactive access to fisheries data including information on fishing effort and catches. This feasibility study should consider, in addition to the geographical areas mentioned above, the Black Sea once data from that area is available through the DCR.
	The study would have required extensive work and co-operation between all European marine fisheries research institutes, in order to achieve these aims. However, the finances on offer to perform the study were relatively limited, and as far as we are aware, no bids to do the work were submitted before the deadline of 25 February 2008.

Fishing Catches

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports he has received on allegations that the fishing vessel Prolific discarded in UK waters fish that were caught in the Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Norwegians have made their concerns known to me. We are now working with them, the Commission and other member states, to deliver a package of measures which will make our fisheries more sustainable in the future and significantly reduce the scale of discarding.

Koi Herpesvirus

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent the spread of koi herpesvirus outbreaks; what estimate he has made of the number of koi herpesvirus outbreaks in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government make a significant contribution to protecting fish against disease. Legislation was introduced in April 2007 which brought in for the first time domestic controls of Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) and made it a notifiable disease in the UK. We will be bringing in shortly broad legislation to implement Council Directive 2006/88 and to provide further protective measures against spread of disease. These notably will include the requirement for fish farms and importers of ornamental fish to be authorised and for angling clubs to be registered. Prior to KHV disease becoming notifiable in April 2007, outbreak numbers were not officially recorded and so are unreliable. Since April 2007 there have been 22 confirmed outbreaks, 10 cases in 2007 and 12 new outbreaks confirmed so far this year.

Moorings

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many residential moorings his Department has registered; and what the location of each is.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested is not held by this Department. The practice for the registration of residential moorings varies between navigation authorities and it is not possible to produce a consistent list of all residential moorings.
	I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 9 October 2008,  Official Report, column 737W, regarding British Waterways licensed residential moorings in England.

Rats

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of  (a) the size of the UK rat population and  (b) the areas most affected by rat infestation.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not have data on the size of the UK rat population.
	Data on rodent infestation in domestic dwellings are obtained from the English House Condition Survey (EHCS). The detailed findings for 2001 are summarised in the report 'Rodent infestations in domestic properties in England, 2001'. The EHCS data only provide an estimate of the proportion of dwellings with rat infestations inside or outside. It does not provide definitive data on numbers of rats.
	The 2001 report indicated that there may be a higher occurrence of rats within urban and rural areas when compared to suburban areas.
	In May, DEFRA published an interim report on rodent presence in domestic properties from the EHCS data for 2002-03 and 2003-04. The key findings were that the occurrences of rats in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.
	A further detailed report is anticipated for publication in spring 2009.

Sheep: Ear Tagging

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the effects of electronic identification on the UK sheep industry.

Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) met with Commissioner Vassiliou on 29 September to press for a review of Council Regulation 21/2004, which provides for the mandatory implementation of electronic identification (EID).
	The Commissioner indicated that there were no plans for a review of the Regulation before 31 December 2009 when EID is due to be implemented.

Sheep: Ear Tagging

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings he has had with farmers' representatives from  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Northern Ireland and  (d) Wales on the European Commission's plans for electronic identification of sheep.

Jane Kennedy: The implementation and administration of electronic identification (EID) of sheep in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales is an issue for the devolved administrations.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) did however meet with representatives of the NFU, NFU Scotland, NFU Wales, National Sheep Association, British Meat processors Association, Livestock Auctioneers Association and the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers on 30 June to discuss EID.

Sheep: Ear Tagging

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings he has had with his counterparts in each of the devolved administrations on the European Commission's plans for electronic identification of sheep.

Jane Kennedy: As part of the normal course of business, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Hilary Benn) talks to his devolved counterparts on a variety of issues, including electronic identification (EID). DEFRA officials also meet with their devolved counterparts to discuss EID on a regular basis.
	A UK EID Project Board has also been established, which includes representatives of the devolved administrations, to take decisions on EID on a UK basis.

Armed Forces: Resignations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel opted not to extend their service in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of trained UK regular forces service personnel who opted not to extend their service is recorded in tables 1-8 of TSP5 (UK Regular Forces Outflow From Trained Strength to Civil Life) as outflow type "Time Expiry". Statistics are available for each service and on a tri service basis.
	TSP5 is published monthly, the current September 2008 publication includes time series back to 1998/99 and can be found at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page==48&pubType=l&thiscontent=60&PublishTime =09:30:004www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=48&pubType=l&thiscontent=60&PublishTime =09:30:00&date=2008-10-14&disText=l%20Sep%202008&
	Copies of TSP 5 are also available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Civil Service Agencies

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many agencies were sponsored by his Department in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 1997-98.

Kevan Jones: The "Next Steps Report 199" (Cm3889) provides information on all Executive Agencies as at 31 December 1997. Copies are available in the Library of the House. The most up-to-date list of Executive Agencies is published in the Cabinet Office publication "The List of Ministerial Responsibilities". The latest version, incorporating recent ministerial changes, will be published shortly and I will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Departmental Cleaning Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which contractors his Department uses to undertake cleaning duties; and what the hourly rates of pay are for cleaners working in the Department.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	This is due to the number of locations the MOD operates from across the UK and overseas. Also for a number of sites cleaning is part of a wider building services contract and could not be split out as a separate cost.

Departmental Data Protection

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) computers and  (b) hard drives in his Department contain non-encrypted data.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 16 October 2008
	MOD does not currently hold this information centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Under the terms of the Burton and Hannigan reviews MOD is conducting a census of all removable media, which will include removable hard drives and this work is due to complete in March 2009.
	We have encrypted 20,000 laptops that are used outside MOD secure sites. Some laptops are not encrypted for technical reasons, such as those running automated test equipment, but are protected by other physical means. MOD is reviewing its policy on the protection, including encryption, of equipment that is designed to be retained within our secure buildings.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists have been  (a) mobilised for service and  (b) discharged due to injury in Iraq in each year since March 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of Reservists mobilised for Service in Iraq by year is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 8,284 
			 2004 2,370 
			 2005 1,198 
			 2006 949 
			 2007 721 
		
	
	Figures for 2008 are not yet available.
	Information on discharges due to injuries on operations in Iraq, are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate-cost as it would involve trawling individual personnel files.

Piracy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are plans to create a European Union-led naval task force to combat piracy.

Bob Ainsworth: Ministers from the Departments responsible for countering piracy have recently agreed that HMG should take a more proactive stance on dealing with this issue, recognising that this will be best achieved with international partners including NATO, the EU and coalition forces already in the Gulf of Aden.
	We continue to work with our EU partners on measures to implement UNSCRs 1816 and 1838. In September we supported the establishment of an EU cell that aims to co-ordinate military escorts to World Food Programme shipping. We have also supported EU planning for a counter-piracy naval operation off the coast of Somalia, and on 14 October the EU Political and Security Committee decided to accept the offer made by the UK to provide the Operation Commander (Rear Admiral Phil Jones) and the Operation HQ (the Multinational Headquarters at Northwood).
	A formal decision from the EU member states to allow planning for the operation to proceed to the next stage is expected in the next ten days. We have made clear that the UK offer is conditional on sufficient forces being generated for the mission to be effective. Current estimates are for the operation to be launched towards the end of 2008, probably in December, once force generation and detailed planning is complete.
	The key task of the operation will be to ensure the safe delivery of World Food Programme and other vital humanitarian deliveries to Somalia, but also to deter attacks on European and other shipping. EU partners are agreed that the ESDP operation is closely co-ordinated with other actors in the region, including Combined Task Force150 and NATO.
	The ESDP operation will not solve the; long-term problems of Somalia which are the root causes of piracy, and we will continue working with our international partners to restore governance.

Departmental Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on overnight accommodation by his Department's civil servants in the last 12 months.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not separately record expenditure on overnight accommodation from other forms of subsistence such as meal allowances, day subsistence, incidental expenses and motor mileage; the total expenditure on all forms of subsistence for staff in 2007-08 was £38,053.

Departmental Public Participation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings Ministers in his Department have had with members of the public since May 2007.

Ann McKechin: My right hon. Friend and I have frequent meetings with members of the public on a wide range of issues. Records of these meetings are not normally kept.

Departmental Secondment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of his Department's staff are seconded from each other Government department.

Ann McKechin: At present, the Scotland Office has 30 staff on secondment from the Scottish Executive and 20 staff on secondment from the Ministry of Justice.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings overseas Ministers in his Department have attended since May 2007.

Ann McKechin: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, nor I, have been abroad since taking up our current offices. My hon. Friend the Member for Inverclyde (David Cairns) attended a range of meetings, briefings and events in his role as Minister of State at the Scotland Office while attending the Offshore Europe conference in Stavanger, Norway, from 25 to 27 August 2008. My right hon. Friend the Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Des Browne) attended a large number of overseas visits and meetings in his dual capacity as Secretary of State for Defence and Scotland.

Dorneywood

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1187W, on Dorneywood: official hospitality, what use his Department has made of Dorneywood for official engagements in the last 12 months.

Ann McKechin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the hon. Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on 20 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 90-91W.

Citizens' Advice Bureaux: Closures

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he has had discussions with representatives of citizens' advice bureaux to discuss potential closures of citizens' advice bureaux; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I have not had any discussions with representatives from Citizens Advice, the organisation which provides the umbrella body to support the Citizens Advice Service, nor from individual Citizens Advice Bureaux on potential closures of bureaux. While Central Government provide funding to Citizens Advice, it does not fund individual bureaux who receive their core funding mainly from their local authority. They will be best placed to decide which advice agencies should be supported locally.

UK Trade and Investment: Arts

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will publish UK Trade and Investment's five year strategy to enhance the international competitive position in the UK's creative industries.

Gareth Thomas: "Creative UK: Towards an International Marketing Strategy for the UK's Creative Industries" was published on 16 July 2007. A copy rests in the House of Commons Library.

Colombia: Arms Trade

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on the trade in small arms with Colombia.

Gillian Merron: All export licence applications, including those for small arms to Colombia, are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of the circumstances prevailing at the time and other relevant announced Government policies.
	An export licence will not be issued if the arguments for doing so are outweighed by the need to comply with the UK's international obligations and commitments, by concern that the goods might be used for internal repression or international aggression, by the risks to regional stability or by other considerations as described in the EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Prisoners: Education

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners gained  (a) GCSEs,  (b) A-levels,  (c) NVQs and  (d) other qualifications while in custody in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Bill Rammell) to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) on 31 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 595-98W, for a detailed breakdown of qualifications achieved by prisoners over the age of 18. Information on qualifications achieved by prisoners under the age of 18, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Children, Young People and Families (Beverley Hughes) on 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 362W, to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes).

Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information is available to advocacy groups and other groups providing support to families using the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal about the changes to the Tribunal taking place after 3 November 2008.

Bridget Prentice: Current guidance on how to appeal or make a claim, the Special Educational Needs Appeal booklet and the Disability Discrimination Act claim booklet, are both being revised; they will be available before 3 November. Guidance will be drafted for the case management hearings. In addition we are undertaking comprehensive training in November of all users.

Council Housing: Insulation

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities in  (a) England and  (b) the East Midlands have budgeted for insulation improvements to their housing stock in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: holding answer 16 October 2008
	Data on local authority budgeted capital spend is provided through the Business Plan Statistical Appendix. The returns for the financial year 2007-08, which contain the budget data for 2008-09, are expected to be published in November 2008.
	The latest Business Plans by which local authorities provide the Department with such data gives budgeted spend for 2007-08. For that year out of 205 local authorities who still owned council housing, 142 indicated they planned some spend on insulation activity during 2007-08. Five authorities did not provide data on this question.
	In the East Midlands 16 out of 32 local authorities owning council housing planned some spend on insulation activity during 2007-08.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes for rent or sale to local people were built in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Iain Wright: There were 35,940 new affordable homes built in 2006-07. Figures for 2007-08 are not yet available.
	Not all affordable housing is through new build completions; supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. In 2006-07, an additional 8,390 affordable homes were supplied through acquisitions which are not included in the figure above.
	Affordable housing new build figures are from the Housing Corporation Investment Management System (IMS), and HSSA returns and P2 returns submitted to CLG by local authorities.
	We do not have any information on whether affordable homes are let or sold to local people.

Powers of Entry

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many powers of entry her Department and its predecessors have  (a) introduced in legislation and  (b) repealed since 1997.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W.

Regional Planning and Development: Retail Trade

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research she has  (a) commissioned,  (b) evaluated and  (c) undertaken on the effects of planning regulation upon small independent retailers; and whether such research includes analysis of the effects of large-scale, out-of-town developments on small retailers.

Iain Wright: Our "Proposed Changes to Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres", published for consultation on 10 July 2008, which seek to improve the effectiveness of our town centre policy and strengthen our policy protection for small shops, and the vitality and viability of town centres, was accompanied by a detailed assessment of the impact of our proposals and the supporting evidence base. The assessment takes account of a number of studies, particularly the Parliamentary All Party Small Shops Group report "High Street Britain: 2015", published in 2006, and the detailed analysis by the Competition Commission groceries market investigation into the extent to which there are distortions in competition between large grocery retailers and convenience store operators. Our assessment has also drawn upon a number of other studies to inform our proposals, including:
	1. Our research report on the "Policy Evaluation of the Effectiveness of PPG6" which we published in 2004;
	2. Research into "The role and vitality of Secondary Shopping", published by the National Retail Planning Forum in 2004, which was co-sponsored by the Department;
	3. The "Smaller Towns Report", published by the British Council of Shopping Centres in 2004; and
	4. A report on the future of retail property "In town or out of town?", published by the British Council of Shopping Centres in 2006.

Arts: Greater London

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department has taken to better champion London's creative festivals.

Barbara Follett: In February this year the Government published 'Creative Britain, New Talents for the New Economy', our strategy for the creative industries. Following discussions with representatives of the office of the Mayor of London and other partners, the strategy set out a shared aspiration to champion London's many creative festivals and forge better, mutually beneficial links with important festivals around the country.
	Creative Britain' also expresses the Government's strong support for established London festivals such as the London Film Festival, London Fashion Week, the London Games Festival, London Design Week and the Frieze Art Fair.

Christmas

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Christmas functions  (a) he,  (b) officials from his Department and  (c) officials from its executive agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2007-08; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The then Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (James Purnell), hosted a Christmas reception for the Department's non-departmental public bodies in December 2007, at a cost of £11,600; and a reception for journalists at a cost of £1,637. He attended 10 Christmas functions in total while in post.
	The annual staff party at DCMS is self-funded by staff, and any profits made are donated to the DCMS Civil Service Sports & Social Club account. Information on functions that DCMS officials attended or hosted could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has only one executive agency, The Royal Parks (TRP). The TRP held an annual staff Christmas party in 2007. This was paid for by TRP directors and not the public purse. All TRP staff were also invited to the winter wonderland fair in Hyde park by the organizer of the event. A further seven Christmas functions attended by a TRP staff member were recorded in the Agency's hospitality register; there was no cost to the public purse.

Film: Digital Technology

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which locations have been selected to host mixed media centres as set out in the cross-departmental report, New Talents for the New Economy.

Barbara Follett: In Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy we outlined six venues that would be used as indicative case studies. They are Broadway, Nottingham; Cornerhouse, Manchester; Foundation for Art and Creative Technology, Liverpool; Sheffield Media and Exhibition Centre, Sheffield; Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle-upon-Tyne; and Watershed, Bristol.

Public Libraries: Finance

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding public libraries received from the public purse in each year since 1997, expressed in 2008 prices.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is as follows:
	 British Library
	DCMS grant in aid funding for the British Library is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  British Library funding, incorporating resource and capital grant in aid 
			  £ million 
			   Historic prices  Current prices( 1) 
			 2006-07 104.4 107.6 
			 2005-06 102.6 108.6 
			 2004-05 100.6 108.7 
			 2003-04 90.1 100.0 
			 2002-03 86.1 98.2 
			 2-01-02 85.1 100.2 
			 2000-01 82.2 99.0 
			 1999-2000 83.2 101.5 
			 1998-99 80.4 100.0 
			 1997-98 87.2 110.8 
		
	
	 Public library  f unding
	Government funding is provided to the full range of public libraries through a number of channels. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) provide funding in support of particular projects and programmes. The funding provided since 1997-98 is as follows:
	
		
			  MLA support for public libraries( 2) 
			£ million 
			   Historic prices  Current prices( 1) 
			 2006-07 (3)3.7 3.8 
			 2005-06 5.1 5.4 
			 2004-05 6.3 6.8 
			 2003-04 5.0 5.6 
			 2002-03 6.1 7.0 
			 2001-02 5.4 6.4 
			 2000-01 1.7 2.1 
			 1999-2000 4.3 5.3 
			 1998-99 0.7 0.9 
			 1997-98 0.5 0.6 
		
	
	In addition DCMS/Wolfson Public Library Challenge Fund funding in support of reading activities was as follows:
	
		
			  DCS/Wolfson Public Library Challenge Fund 
			  £ million 
			   Historic prices  Current prices( 1) 
			 2001-02 2.8 3.3 
			 2000-01 2.9 3.5 
			 1999-2000 2.9 3.5 
			 1998-99 1.9 2.4 
			 1997-98 2.3 2.9 
		
	
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has policy responsibility for public libraries but core funding for public libraries is paid to the 149 library authorities in England as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Local authorities' net current expenditure on public libraries, as advised by DCLG, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Net current expenditure (public libraries, England) 
			  £000 
			   Historic prices  Current prices( 1) 
			 2006-07 889,382 916,605 
			 2005-06 865,161 915,660 
			 2004-05 825,327 891,388 
			 2003-04 796,169 883,278 
			 2002-03 757,737 864,602 
			 2001-02 704,123 829,326 
			 2000-01 666,206 802,165 
			 1999-2000 644,321 785,987 
			 1998-99 624,388 776,641 
			 1997-98 607,045 771,135 
			 (1) Calculated using Gross Domestic Product deflators 2007-08 supplied by Her Majesty's Treasury. (2) Museums, Libraries and Archives Council spend that cannot be directly attributed to one of the three domains is excluded from the table. (3) This is a final figure and supersedes provisional figures supplied to Parliament at a previous date.

Crime: Computers

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions were made for fraud committed against British victims on internet auction websites and online marketplaces in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions were made for illegal file sharing of copyrighted music or video via the internet in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions were made for selling counterfeit DVDs in each of the last three years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The information requested is not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, such as violence against the person and robbery. It is not possible to identify specific offences, or the individual circumstances of offences from within the main offence groups. The offence of selling counterfeit DVDs is not a notifiable offence and does not form a part of the arrests collection.
	Although data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on prosecutions and convictions does contain information on the statute under which individuals are prosecuted, such as the Trade Marks Act 1994, Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and the Computer Misuse Act 1990, the data available do not provide information on victims, nor the particulars of each case for example whether a prosecution was for illegal file sharing or another action covered by the statute.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contracts (a) her Department and (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Phil Woolas: The  (a) Home Department and, of  (b) its agencies, the Identity and Passport Service have contracts with EDF Energy using the OGC Buying Solutions managed services framework for electricity supply.
	The available information held by the (i) Home Department and (ii) the Identity and Passport Service on spend on electricity for each year since 2005-2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Home Office HQ  Identity and Passport Service 
			 2005-06 2.79 0.32 
			 2006-07 4.42 0.60 
			 2007-08 4.68 0.71 
		
	
	Earlier data is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. The data include payments to London Electricity who have now been taken over by EDF. The figures exclude expenditure by the National Offender Management Service which became part of the Ministry of Justice in May 2007.

Illegal Immigrants

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 958W, which police forces have not established an immigration crime partnership.

Phil Woolas: Immigration crime partnerships are yet to be established with the following police forces/services:
	Bedfordshire Police;
	City of London Police;
	Cumbria Constabulary;
	Hertfordshire Constabulary;
	Merseyside Police.
	There are ongoing negotiations to establish ICP teams in all ACPO regions across the UK which will be made up of officers from forces within that region.
	In Scotland Policing is a devolved matter. There is an agreement between UKBA Scotland and the Association of Chief Police Officers of Scotland to set up an ICP team for Scotland and arrangements are in place.
	In Northern Ireland the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) has not established an immigration crime partnership but there is an agreement that PSNI will tackle immigration crime and immigration related crime.
	The agency sits on the Organised Crime Taskforce steering group.

Security Guards: Licensing

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average number of employees was of companies with Security Industry Authority approved contractor status in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) the latest date for which data is available;
	(2)  how many companies had approved contractor status removed by the Security Industry Authority in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008 to date;
	(3)  how many Security Industry Authority approved contractors there were on  (a) 31 December 2006,  (b) 31 December 2007 and  (c) the latest date for which data is available.

Alan Campbell: The following data has been supplied by the Security Industry Authority.
	 227741
	Based on information provided by companies in the course of annual re-registration with the SIA, the total number of staff working for companies with Security Industry Authority approved contractor status in the years in question were as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 31 December 2006 84,455 
			 31 December 2007 101,656 
			 15 October 2008 116,086 
		
	
	The average number of employees is not readily available.
	 22742
	The number of companies which had approved contractor status withdrawn was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 1 
			 2007 7 
			 2008 6 
		
	
	 22743
	The number of companies on the SIA Register of Approved Contractors was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 31 December 2006 317 
			 31 December 2007 420 
			 15 October 2008 552

Staffordshire Police: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will ask the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police to provide a substantive reply to the right hon. Member for Walsall North to his letter of 4 September concerning a constituent (reference: NH/JF); and if she will inquire into the reasons for the time taken to reply.

Vernon Coaker: Neither the Home Office nor its Ministers are able to comment on or intervene in individual matters. The Chief Officer is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the force, not the Home Secretary. Matters relating to the investigation of a crime and the deployment of resources are the responsibility of the local Chief Officer. It is however understood that the hon. Member received a reply from the Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police on 20 October.

Aimhigher Programme

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the projected cost of AimHigher is for 2008-09.

David Lammy: Aimhigher is an important part of our policies to widen participation in higher education. Evidence from Excellence Challenge (a predecessor initiative which provided activities similar to those of Aimhigher) showed that, after just 18 months of the programme, it was having a significant effect on the aspirations of young people, and their attainment levels. The budget for Aimhigher for 2008-09 is £85.5 million, including contributions from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Department of Health. £3 million is for the new Aimhigher Associates initiative, which links undergraduates with young people at school or college to help them through educational transitions and into university.
	Our policies are succeeding: the proportion of UK domiciled, young, full-time, first degree entrants to English higher education institutions who were from lower socio-economic groups rose from 27.9 per cent. in 2002/03 to 29.8 per cent. in 2006/07.

Driving Instructors

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals for legislation to prevent convicted sex offenders from becoming driving instructors.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Current legislation includes a requirement for an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) to be a "fit and proper" person. Since March 2007, those seeking to qualify as ADIs have been required to provide enhanced level criminal record checks to ensure that those allowed onto the ADI Register meet this condition.
	The Driving Standards Agency and Department for Transport continues to look for an early legislative opportunity to introduce powers to suspend Approved Driving Instructors.

Manchester Airport

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the development of Manchester airport as a hub; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: Northern Way has begun work to identify the benefits to the regional economy from investment in the rail network around Manchester. This will feed in to the study being conducted by Network Rail into the options for investment, due to be completed in summer 2009.

Seafarers' Pay

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has held with trades unions and HM Treasury on the Seafarers' Earnings Deduction.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has had informal discussion with Nautilus UK and HM Revenue and Customs, following the Special Commissioner's decision in the 'Pride of South America' case. Although there have not been any discussions with HM Treasury, I understand that my hon. Friend, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, is aware of the concerns raised by this decision and that HM Revenue and Customs will work closely with stakeholders on the interpretation of the Commissioner's decision to ensure that it is implemented in a fair and practical manner.

Bus Services: Concessions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to change the national concessionary bus fares scheme.

Paul Clark: This Government introduced the statutory minimum bus concession in 2001 and subsequently improved the original half-fare minimum to free local travel in 2006. The successful introduction of the England-wide concessionary travel in April this year was a major achievement, but it represented a further significant change for both local authorities and the bus industry. As such, our current focus is very much on ensuring the continued success of the new concession.
	We are currently considering possible improvements to the administration of concessionary travel and are likely to consult on some possible changes later in the year.
	In July this year it was. announced that by 1 April 2011, the statutory bus concession in England will be extended to include service personnel and veterans under the age of 60, who were seriously injured in service and are resident in England. Aside from this there are no further plans at present to extend the statutory minimum to different times, other modes, community transport or additional groups of people.

Departmental Recruitment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its executive agencies spent on (i) recruitment consultants and (ii) external recruitment advertising to recruit staff in each of the last five financial years; which recruitment consultants were employed for those purposes in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The figures in the following table have been sourced from the Central Department and its agencies and show expenditure on recruitment consultancies and external advertising combined. These figures could not be split due to reporting variances across the Department.
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2003-04 4,021,132 
			 2004-05 4,220,768 
			 2005-06 8,272,596 
			 2006-07 4,791,412 
			 2007-08 5,610,731 
		
	
	The larger figure in 2005-06 represents a major campaign by the Highways Agency to recruit Traffic Officers.
	The table showing Recruitment Consultancies used has been placed in the Libraries of the House. This represents recruitment consultancies used throughout the past five financial years however, some agencies could provide this data only at disproportionate cost.

Driving: Licensing

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the number of people driving on UK roads without  (a) insurance,  (b) a valid MOT certificate and  (c) a valid provisional or full driving licence.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Our latest estimate (2005) for uninsured driving is based on a comparison of the vehicle register, maintained by the Driver Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the motor insurance database. The estimate is about 2.1 million licensed vehicles (about 6.5 of the UK total) are being driven by uninsured drivers. Measures introduced to tackle uninsured driving include police powers to seize vehicles used on the road uninsured, and improved police powers to access information contained in the insurance industry's database. The Road Safety Act 2006 introduced a new offence of being a registered keeper for which there is no valid motor insurance. Further regulations are required to bring in the provisions into force and the detail of. this scheme for continuous insurance enforcement will be subject to consultation later this year.
	The most recent results of the "on the road" compliance survey, published in 2006, showed that around 4.2 of vehicles in use on the road did not have a valid MoT. When applied to the whole vehicle fleet this would amount to around 1.2 million vehicles. The exercise was repeated this year but the results are not yet available. To improve compliance with these requirements the police have access to the computerised record of MoT test results so that officers can identify vehicles without a valid MoT, when using for example ANPR cameras, and then take action. The 'newstyle' MoT certificates come with a peel off and display sticker setting out the MoT expiry date as an aid to motorists.
	The most recent estimate of the number of drivers using a vehicle on the road without a valid driving licence is 1.6. Full details are available in the report on the National Driver and Vehicle Compliance Check 2006. The report was published on 8 September 2006, and placed in the House of Commons Library. It is also available at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/roadspolicingoperationv79.
	Provision to the Police of 24 hour access to accurate and up to date driver licensing information (including a photograph where appropriate) at the roadside has assisted detection and enforcement. There are also good IT links between the DVLA and the courts to assist in effective prosecution of offenders.

Equality

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office will spend on the Single Equality Bill seminar being hosted on 10th December 2008 in conjunction with Whitehall and Westminster World.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 13 October 2008
	The Government Equalities Office is not making any contribution towards the cost of the Single Equality Bill seminar organised by Westminster and Whitehall World on 10 December 2008.

Dietary Supplements

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether officials of the Food Standards Agency and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have had discussions with Royal Mail on its involvement in the delivery of catalogues marketing food supplements and herbal remedies which  (a) contain illegal ingredients and  (b) about which claims are made that would be illegal were the products to be placed directly onto the United Kingdom market.

Dawn Primarolo: Neither the Food Standards Agency nor the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have held discussions with Royal Mail on such matters.

Health Services: West Sussex

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 29 January 2008,  Official Report, column 339W and 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1795W, on health services: West Sussex, what assessment he has made of whether the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority and the West Sussex Primary Care Trust are allowing the panel reviewing services in the north east of West Sussex to consider all viable options.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has made no assessment of West Sussex Primary Care Trust's review of services in the north east of West Sussex. As stated in the answers I gave the hon. Member on 29 January and 21 April 2008, proposals for changes to services are a local matter. Therefore, I recommend that the hon. Member continue to engage with the national health service locally on this issue.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1714W, on hospitals: infectious diseases, what the average cost per healthcare associated infection case is in 2008-09 prices; and what the estimated cost for all in-patient admissions was in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2006-07 was using the Public Health Laboratory Service assumptions adjusted for inflation and in-patient numbers.

Ann Keen: The Department does not routinely collect this information and no single definitive cost figure exists. However, a study by the Public Health Laboratory Service(1) (PHLS) in 1999 estimated that hospital-acquired infections (HCAIs) cost the national health service £1 billion a year. This remains the best available estimate of NHS costs, although based on data from 1994-95.
	There were 11.4 million in-patient episodes in 1994-95. This suggests the cost per in-patient episode in 1994-95 is equivalent to £87. A cost of £87 in 1994-95 would be equivalent to £137 in 2006-07 prices. It is not possible to provide a more up to date figure because calculations are based on standard pay and price deflators published by the Personal Social Services Research Unit in agreement with the Department. Deflators for 2007-08 are not yet available.
	The answer to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1714W, reported a cost of around £4,300 per HCAI case. This analysis was based primarily on the PHLS report and figures were uprated using standard deflators. However, this figure was attributed to the wrong year, as the figure of £4,300 is appropriate for 2004-05 rather than 2003-04. The equivalent figure for 2006-07 is around £4,600.
	(1) R. Plowman, N. Graves, M. Griffin, J. A. Roberts, A. V. Swan, B. Cookson, L. Taylor. The socio-economic burden of hospital acquired infection. Public Health Laboratory Service 1999.

NHS: Manpower

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of those employed by the NHS were employed in  (a) medical posts,  (b) administrative posts and  (c) posts with both medical and administrative responsibilities in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The following table shows both the head count and percentage of national health service staff employed in professionally qualified clinical staff, which includes doctors, qualified nursing, qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff, and ambulance staff. Numbers and percentages for staff with a medical and administrative background are unavailable.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services and general practice (GP) work force (excluding GP retainers)—England at 30 September 2007 
			   Headcount  Percentage 
			 Total employed staff 1,330,544 100 
			
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 681,246 51.2 
			 All doctors(1,2) 127,645 9.6 
			 Qualified nursing staff(3) 399,597 30.0 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 136,976 10.3 
			 Qualified ambulance staff 17,028 1.3 
			
			 Total clerical and administrative staff(4) 256,686 19.3 
			 Central functions 128,620 9.7 
			 Hotel, property and estates 8,818 0.7 
			 St and T support 14,391 1.1 
			 Clerical support 101,125 7.6 
			 Ambulance service support 3,732 0.3 
			
			 Other non-medical staff(5) 298,097 22.4 
			
			 Other GP practice staff(6) 94,515 7.1 
			 (1) Excludes GP retainers. (2) Figures exclude HCHS medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals whom have been excluded to avoid double counting. (3) Nursing and midwifery figures exclude students on training courses leading to a first qualification as a nurse or midwife. Includes GP practice nurses. (4) Examples of staff in central functions are staff in HR, informatics, payroll, and library staff. Examples of staff in Hotel, property and estates are clerical laundry staff, domestic services and home wardens. Examples of staff in ST and T support are clerical staff in audiology, haematology, dietetics and microbiology. Ambulance service support staff are ambulance controllers, training staff and ambulance officers. (5) Other non-medical staff includes ambulance support staff, maintenance and works staff and a small number of other and unknown staff. (6) Other practice staff—there is no breakdown of type of work for headcount data. However type of work is available for full time equivalent practice staff and the majority (over 80 per cent. in 2007) were admin and clerical staff.  Data quality: Work force statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Sources: 1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal medical services statistics 2. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census 3. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Surgery

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times were for  (a) heart and  (b) cancer operations in (i) Chesterfield, (ii) Derbyshire and (iii) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: Average waiting times for heart surgery for the relevant organisations are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Mean and median days waited for a heart operation 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			   England  Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation trust 
			   Mean days waited  Median days waited  Finished Consultant Episodes  Mean days waited  Median days waited  Finished Consultant Episodes  Mean days waited  Median days waited  Finished Consultant Episodes 
			 2006-07 65 56 294,811 45 42 846 44 36 1,506 
			 2005-06 74 60 287,215 52 30 896 117 45 1,547 
			 2004-05 87 69 270,917 95 111 559 97 43 1,227 
			 2003-04 100 70 254,710 2 2 32 52 21 1,156 
			 2002-03 108 74 233,223 8 8 27 58 36 920 
			 2001-02 109 69 214,077 (1)— (1)— 44 60 41 990 
			 2000-01 112 69 198,718 (1)— (1)— 50 116 60 983 
			 1999-2000 102 60 185,750 (1)— (1)— 58 103 60 819 
			 1998- 99 108 63 177,711 (1)— (1)— 42 26 13 737 
			 1997- 98 105 60 161,922 (1)— (1)— 31 (2)— (2)— (2)— 
			 (1) Denotes very few heart operations were performed in Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust between 1997-98 and 2001 02. Those heart operations that did take place were likely to be emergency procedures. (2) Denotes 1997-98 data has not been provided for Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust due to a complex merger that occurred during this time. Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. 
		
	
	Statistics on average waiting times between decision to treat and treatment for cancer surgery are not collected centrally. Performance against the cancer waiting time standard of a maximum wait of 31 days from decision to treat to first cancer treatment for the relevant organisations are shown in the following table
	
		
			  Percentage of patients treated within 31 days of a clinical diagnosis being made by a responsible specialist — all cancers 
			  Percentage 
			   Quarter  Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  England 
			 2004-05 Q4 99.0 91.8 91.1 
			 2005-06 Q4 100.0 98.7 98.9 
			 2006-07 Q4 99.7 99.5 99.6 
			 2007-08 Q4 100.0 98.7 99.5

Vaccination: Travel

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the provision of travel-related vaccines by the NHS.

Dawn Primarolo: Certain vaccinations and immunisations for travel abroad are available free of charge on the national health service.
	typhoid,
	cholera,
	polio,
	infectious hepatitis (Hep A).
	It is at the discretion of the general practitioner if they give any other travel vaccines free of charge.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many childcare places of each type  (a) opened and  (b) closed in each year since 2003;
	(2)  how many  (a) after-school facilities and  (b) holiday clubs have closed in (i) each of the last 10 years and (ii) in each quarter of the last three years;
	(3)  how many  (a) after-school facilities and  (b) holiday clubs have opened in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  how many  (a) after-school and  (b) holiday club places for children have opened in (i) each of the last 10 years and (ii) each quarter of the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: Ofsted do not separately identify after-school facilities and holiday clubs, these are included in the Out of School Day Cafe category. The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Number and percentage of childcare places that have opened and closed( 1) : Position as at 31 March each year, England 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			  Opened 238,600 21.6 254,100 21.6 212,800 17.0 198,400 15.5 188,300 14.6 
			 Childminders 62,800 19.6 53,000 16.8 48,800 15.1 47,500 14.9 40,300 13.5 
			 Full Daycare 98,600 21.6 117,600 22.7 89,900 15.9 85,500 14.3 83,400 13.4 
			 Out of school(2) 77,200 23.6 83,500 24.5 74,200 20.2 85,400 17.9 64,600 17.5 
			  Closed 128,400 11.6 200,800 17.1 147,600 11.8 180,200 14.1 190,400 14.8 
			 Childminders 50,400 15.8 63,000 19.9 44,800 13.9 54,800 17.3 63,000 21.1 
			 Full Daycare 38,500 8.4 65,600 12.7 50,000 8.8 57,700 9.6 64,700 10.4 
			 Out of school(2) 39,400 12.1 72,200 21.2 52,700 14.4 67,600 18.5 62,700 17.0 
			
			  Net steady state changes( 3) +24,600 2.2 +19,200 1.6 +8,800 0.7 +9,100 0.7 +10,700 0.8 
			 Childminders +6,400 2.0 +6,300 2.0 +2,100 0.7 +2,900 0.9 +3,600 1.2 
			 Full Daycare +14,600 3.2 +9,600 1.9 +5,500 1.0 +5,200 0.9 +5,200 0.8 
			 Out of school(2) +3,600 1.0 +3,300 1.0 +1,100 0.3 +1,100 0.3 +1,900 0.5 
			
			  Net change +134,900 12.2 +72,600 6.2 +74,000 5.9 +27,400 2.1 +8,500 0.7 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. (2) out of School Day Care figures may not include services in extended schools as OFSTED data only includes providers that have to register separately. (3). The Net Study State refers to registered providers who registration status has not changed, but whose number of places has fluctuated over the period in question.  Source: Ofsted 
		
	
	
		
			  Number and percentage of childcare providers that have opened and closed( 1) : Position as at 31 March each year, England 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			  Opened 21,200 22.9 18,500 20.2 16,400 17.3 15,500 16.4 13,500 15.1 
			 Childminders 16,300 22.5 13,100 18.6 11,900 16.6 11,200 16.1 9,300 14.5 
			 Full daycare 2,500 22.6 2,800 23.3 2,300 17.3 2,200 15.9 2,100 15.0 
			 Out of school(2) 2,400 25.9 2,600 27.3 2,300 21.6 2,100 19.7 2,000 19.0 
			
			  Closed 14,400 15.5 19,200 20.9 13,400 14.0 16,400 17.4 18,200 20.4 
			 Childminders 12,100 16.7 15,300 21.8 10,500 14.7 12,900 18.5 14,600 22.6 
			 Full daycare 1,100 9.7 1,800 14.5 1,300 10.1 1,500 10.8 1,700 11.8 
			 Out of school(2) 1,200 13.0 2,200 22.6 1,500 14.6 2,000 18.7 1,900 18.1 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. (2) Out of school day care figures may not include services in extended schools as Ofsted data only include providers that have to register separately.  Source: Ofsted 
		
	
	The Department is unable to provide accurate details of closure rates for child care places and providers prior to 2003.
	Since March 2003 data on closure rates have been available from Ofsted. Their data on closures include registered places in settings which are transferring ownership, and in settings which move from one Ofsted category to another, not just those which are ceasing trading.

Departmental Consultants

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1113W, on departmental consultants, what estimate his Department makes for planning purposes of the average costs of undertaking a public consultation.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The majority of the Department's formal consultations are undertaken in-house by the Central Consultation Unit—the costs for which are given in my response to your pursuant question on departmental publications. Any costs beyond this are normally met by the policy area commissioning the consultation; these are not recorded centrally and could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Security

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many security passes have been reported  (a) lost and  (b) stolen by staff in his Department and its predecessors in each year since 2001.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was created 28 June 2007. Since that time 187 security passes have been reported as lost and 20 reported as stolen.
	Although we could provide incomplete information prior to the creation of DSCF, the collation of the records dating from 2001 from each HQ building and each prior Department would be both difficult and time consuming and would take us over the disproportionate cost limit.

GCE A-level

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of sixth form students  (a) in the state sector and  (b) at grammar schools achieved three or more grade A at A-level in 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The proportions of sixth form students who achieved three or more A grades at A-level in 2008, by type of school, are shown in table 1 of the statistical first release 'GCE/VCEA/AS and Equivalent Examination Results in England, 2007/08 (Provisional)':
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000816/index.shtml.

Pre-school Education: Darlington

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Darlington constituency took up free nursery places in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
	Table 1 provides information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in Darlington parliamentary constituency area. Data at parliamentary constituency level are not yet available for 2008.
	
		
			  Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1,2,3)  filled by three and four-year-olds: parliamentary constituency Darlington— p osition in January each year 
			   Three-year-olds  Four-year-olds 
			   Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 5)  Total three-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 6)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 7)  Total four-year-olds 
			 2004 780 290 1,100 990 100 1.10& 
			 2005 700 270 970 890 110 1,000 
			 2006 710 310 1,000 860 90 940 
			 2007 710 330 1,000 930 130 1,100 
			 (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Prior to 2004, information on early education places was derived from returns made by local authorities as part of the Nursery Education Grant (NEG) data collection exercise. These data were collected at local authority level, therefore, data for this parliamentary constituency prior to 2004 is not available. (4) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (6) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. 
		
	
	Table 2 provides information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds for Darlington local authority area for the years 1999 to 2008.
	
		
			  Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1,2)  filled by three and four-year-olds: local authority Darlington—position in January each year 
			   Three-year-olds  Four-year-olds 
			   Maintained nursery and primary schools( 3)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total three-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total four-year-olds 
			 1999 1,000 n/a 1,000 n/a n/a (5,6)1,300 
			 2000 980 (7)0 1,000 m/a n/a (5,6)1,300 
			 2001 920 (7)60 970 n/a n/a (5,6)1,300 
			 2002 920 (7)290 1,200 1,100 (5)110 1,200 
			 2003 870 (7)350 1,200 1,100 (8)130 1.200 
			 2004 780 (9)370 1,200 1,100 (10)120 1,200 
			 2005 700 (9)350 1,100 970 (10)150 1,100 
			 2006 740 (9)370 1,100 950 (10)120 1,100 
			 2007 740 (9)390 1,100 1,000 (10)150 1,200 
			 2008 810 (9)410 1,200 1,100 (10)140 1,200 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) A place is equal to live or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (4) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (6) For the years 1999-2001, four-year-old sub national figures from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise can not be disaggregated between the maintained and private, voluntary and independent sectors. (7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (8) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the School Census. (9) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (10) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. 
		
	
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 12/2008 "Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2008", available on my Department's website:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/

Pupil Exclusions

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the average length of time was between permanent exclusion of a pupil and their placement in another mainstream school or pupil referral unit in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  in how many maintained mainstream schools more than  (a) 10 per cent.,  (b) 15 per cent.,  (c) 20 per cent.,  (d) 25 per cent., and  (e) 30 per cent. of pupils have been excluded in any one 12 month period in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many incidents of violence towards  (a) staff and  (b) pupils were reported in the 10 per cent. of (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools with the (A) lowest and (B) highest levels of free school meal entitlement in the latest year for which data is available;
	(4)  how many incidents of violence towards  (a) staff and  (b) pupils were reported in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in the 10 per cent. of areas of (A) lowest and (B) highest deprivation in the latest year for which data is available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Admissions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children did not achieve a place at the secondary school of their choice in Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This is the first year that local authorities have been required to provide data to the Secretary of State on secondary school offers made to parents on national offer day. The data was published on the DCSF research gateway
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway
	on 11 March at local authority, regional and national levels. Figures for Lancashire show that 13 per cent. (1,748) of children did not obtain a place at their first choice of secondary school. We do not collect data on primary school offers.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of funding for schools in England was directed to students with special needs and learning difficulties in 2007-08; and what proportion of the school student body they comprised.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: During the 2007-08 financial year, local authorities in England budgeted to spend almost £4.9 billion on the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs. This £4.9 billion represents a 76.0 per cent. increase since the 2000-01 financial year (comparable data is not available prior to 2000-01) and 12.8 per cent. of local authorities' total planned education revenue expenditure for 2007-08. In addition to the planned expenditure of almost £4.9 billion, local authorities in England also budgeted a further £554.9 million for SEN transport during 2007-08.
	As at January 2008, 20 per cent. of pupils had special educational needs (SEN), 2.8 per cent. had SEN 'statements' and 17.2 per cent. had SEN without statements. Much of the expenditure on the latter group will come from schools' general budgets and will not be included within the £4.9 billion identified for SEN.

Bank Services

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what legislative powers the Government recently froze the assets of Icelandic banks in the United Kingdom.

Ian Pearson: The Government froze the UK funds of Landsbanki under the power in section 4 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act, 2001. HMG has not frozen any other Icelandic banks. The Act includes a range of provisions. In this instance, use of the power had no relation to the counter-terrorism provisions elsewhere in the Act. The power allows HMG to make a freezing order where action to the detriment of the United Kingdom's economy (or part of it) has been or is likely to be taken by a foreign government or other person. This was the basis on which the power was used. The Treasury will keep the freezing order under review.

Members: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs received the letter dated 24 September from the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on his constituent, reference chm/09440/2008; and when he expects the matter to be resolved.

Stephen Timms: The acting chief executive received a letter dated 16 September from the right hon. Gentleman on 22 September, to which he replied on 21 October.

Mortgages: Compensation

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has considered the merits of setting up a compensation scheme to assist mortgage holders facing negative equity as a result of the mis-selling of mortgages by banks.

Ian Pearson: In 2004 the Government extended the scope of Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulation to cover mortgages. FSA regulation ensures that borrowers are afforded suitable protections. FSA regulation also provides appropriate means of redress, for borrowers through recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The Financial Service Compensation Scheme (FSCS) provides compensation for borrowers in the case a financial institution is unable to meet its liabilities.

Powers of Entry

Michael Ancram: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many powers of entry have been established in legislation introduced by his Department since 1997; and how many have been abolished.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge) on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1060W. All of the provisions referred to in that reply are still in force.
	As the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Home Department (Mr. Coaker) to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge) on 7 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W said, his review into powers of entry is establishing the continuing need for existing powers.

Shipping: Pay

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the average financial effect on seafarers if the seafarers' earnings deduction is removed;
	(2)  if he will review the decision of HM Revenue and Customs to remove the seafarers' earnings deduction.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is not removing seafarers' earnings deduction (SED). Rather HMRC will revise its guidance on SED to reflect a decision made by the Special Commissioners, an independent appellate body, in the case of Torr and Others  v. CIR (SpC679) The great majority of seafarers who claim SED will not be affected by this decision.
	I am aware of the concerns raised by the Special Commissioners decision in this case, which centred on whether the vessel on which the appellants performed their duties was a ship or an 'offshore installation' within the meaning of the legislation. The Special Commissioners decided it had been operating as an offshore installation, and refused the appellants' claims to SED.
	Broadly speaking, an offshore installation is a vessel that is engaged in exploiting mineral resources and is not mobile while doing so.
	HMRC has written to tax practitioners about this decision and will discuss implementation with interested stakeholders before the revised guidance is issued.

Taxation: Aviation

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the proposed new aviation duty on  (a) regional airports and  (b) regional economies related to them.

Angela Eagle: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Members for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn) and Newcastle Upon Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson) on 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1008W.